Fees are on the rise at the James E. Rogers College of Law, and though it may seem counterintuitive to support paying an extra $1,500 per year, incoming law students should recognize that they're still getting a bargain.

With the fee increase, which the Arizona Board of Regents recently approved, resident law students will pay $8,250 in fees in addition to the regular tuition. Tuition now sits a little below $4,000, but will likely rise before next year.

That means next year, a UA law education will cost approximately the same as the average of the top 25 public law schools in the country.

The law college uses the income from the fees to cover costs of faculty and staff salaries, as well as to update the law library. Fifteen percent of the revenue from the fees goes toward financial aid.

On the surface, a fee that triples the cost of tuition might sound exorbitant, but from the UA's perspective, running a law school is expensive. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the average public school law professor earns nearly $107,000 per year, the only non-medical field in which the average tops $90,000.

From a student perspective, law school should be more expensive than an undergraduate education. It's specialized knowledge, a specialized way of thinking, and most of all, it's preparation for one of the most lucrative careers in America.

The average salary for a 2002 UA law graduate is about $57,000. When you take into account only the graduates who work in the private sector, that number rises to nearly $80,000.

Any way you figure it, investing in law school pays dividends.

And as law schools go, the UA's is pretty good. The Rogers College is among the top 25 public law schools in America, and is in the top 50 when private schools are also considered.

Even though the fees may seem high, they're worth it. Law students may be paying as much as $13,000 to study here next year, but when they're raking in $80,000 per year right out of school, they'll see why the fees are worth it.

Opinions board
Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Shane Dale, Kristina Dunham, Brett Fera, Caitlin Hall and Jeff Sklar.